<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Take Some Time to Figure It Out by bre_meister</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25872814">Take Some Time to Figure It Out</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/bre_meister/pseuds/bre_meister'>bre_meister</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse), Resident Evil - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Addiction, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Established Relationship, F/M, Married Couple, Movie: Resident Evil: Vendetta, i'm trying my best with these tags just be warned about the addiction, we all know Leon really struggles and that dosen't just go away</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 08:47:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,935</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25872814</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/bre_meister/pseuds/bre_meister</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After a failed mission Leon begins to wonder why he continues to do what he does ...or.... a re-telling of Vendetta if Leon and Claire are married with a family.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Leon S. Kennedy/Claire Redfield</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>46</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi! I just wanted to put yet another warning here that this fic deals A LOT with addiction and relapsing so if that is a trigger for you, I'm so glad you wanted to read my work but please don't. Self-care always comes first!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It’s an inarguable fact that the mission went south. Further than south actually...Leon wasn’t sure if there was an actual word or phrase for how things ended. They’d been so close….</span>
  <em>
    <span>so close</span>
  </em>
  <span>. But so close doesn’t mean shit when you essentially lead a whole team of agents to their death.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Deep down Leon knows it wasn’t really his fault - they’ ed been ratted out and on top of that they were all just doing their jobs. Jobs for which everyone knew the risks but accepted them anyway. He tries to remind himself that he barely made it home at all - a fact that was becoming scarily too common. But at the end of the day, when the facts were laid bare, it was impossible for him to ignore his guilt due to his actions, or lack of, in what transpired. Leon got to go home, no matter how emotionally or physically battered, he’s home surrounded by his wife and his two little girls. Several of his team members had families - wive, husbands, and kids that will never get to see them again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Claire tells him every night in bed as she holds him tight - not to break him but to hold him together - that he did everything he could. That he </span>
  <em>
    <span>always </span>
  </em>
  <span>does everything he can but sometimes, they just can’t save everyone. But he wants to. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>desperately</span>
  </em>
  <span> wants to. It’s why he became a police officer, why he specifically requested to be placed in Raccoon, why he drove all the way to a doomed city despite being told to stay away. It’s why he continues to help Ada no matter her misguided morals and sense of self-preservation. Most importantly, it’s why he even began his current job - to protect Sherry. He’d do anything for that girl. In a way, she was his first daughter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So, he tries to believe what his wife tells him. He tried to bury himself in his work like always, something that has lead to many a disagreement between him and Claire. That only took him so far considering a few weeks after coming home he received a call from Hunnigan informing him that he was being given “vacation” to recover after such a taxing mission - in reality, he knew to was more because of his resurfacing self- destructive and obsessive behavior. When that fell through he began to live and breathe his daughters even more so than usual. That only takes him so far considering, during the day, Isabell was at school, Claire had work, and little Olivia spent the day at daycare. Technically, now that he was home all the time, Liv didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>have</span>
  </em>
  <span> to go but both he and Claire agreed that no matter how much the little girl would prefer to stay home with Daddy it would be better not to interrupt her routine. His “vacation” really is only temporary and eventually, the daycare would have to start again which means the fight to get Oliva to attend would start again and that was something both parents would rather avoid. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So, with a guilty conscience and an empty house, Leon did the only thing he could think of - drinking. Alcohol was his main crutch back in the day before he reconnected with Claire. It had taken a good while for him to turn his life around back then and he’s not proud of himself for relapsing but in this moment of weakness with no one to stop him…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That’s a lie and you know it. You have plenty of reasons not to do it. Three in fact. They’ll be home soon...do you really want them to see you like this? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No. The answer was always no. Of course, he didn’t want his family to see him like this and of course, they were a damn good reason to turn away from the bottle. But, one thing Leon has learned in his life is that what should be easy hardly ever is. He doesn’t want his daughters to see him like this, so his solution? Hideaway, keep to himself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Separating himself from his family seemed like a fairly good fix but as he spends more and more time away from them, separated by a wall of his own creation, he feels worse. Leon constantly found himself asking, over and over why he does what he does, why he keeps going. Claire, Isabelle, and Olivia were always the answer to those questions so the distance slowly building in their relationships only aided in worsening his guilt and anxieties. So he leans even harder on the Scotch. This means he separates himself even more - a vicious cycle that he can’t see an end to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>When did you start asking the same questions about your personal life that you did your work? There was supposed to be a separation. Not anymore. Look what you’re doing to yourself, you’re miserable. Your </span>
  </em>
  <span>family</span>
  <em>
    <span> is miserable. Is that what you want?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No. The answer is always no. He doesn’t mean to hurt them but he is. Which is why Claire’s words shouldn’t have been surprising.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You need to leave.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” He couldn’t have heard her right. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m serious Leon. I don’t want to have to do this but you have left me no choice. Your complete and utter...</span>
  <em>
    <span>disregard</span>
  </em>
  <span> for yourself - I don’t want the girls to have to see this. They idolize you and currently, this is killing them to see you like this. Hell, it’s killing </span>
  <em>
    <span>me!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Silence is the only answer he can give her. Currently, his mind is too clouded to argue, and quite frankly, he doesn’t want to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing. You have </span>
  <em>
    <span>nothing</span>
  </em>
  <span> to say? After everything we’ve been through?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Angel, I -” She cut him off before he could finish. Honestly, he didn’t know </span>
  <em>
    <span>how</span>
  </em>
  <span> he was going to finish.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, don't </span>
  <em>
    <span>Angel </span>
  </em>
  <span>me. That would only make this harder. Look I know addiction is complicated and it’s not an easy thing to conquer by any means. I want to help you but right now I have to put our daughters first. I’ll help you all that I can but you need to leave until you decide you </span>
  <em>
    <span>want </span>
  </em>
  <span>help.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Claire, I do but... I don’t like what I’m becoming but I can’t - I don’t - “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you really mean that you’d be able to properly communicate it with me. Until then you need to go find out what the hell it is you want from life. I love you, Leon. The girls love you too, you’re their Daddy but you have to start making an effort to at least </span>
  <em>
    <span>try</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At that she grabs his face, gently - Claire is always gentle with him - and she kisses him. It feels like a goodbye. Or at least, it should. In reality, he just feels numb. When they break apart she holds him tight, with the hope that maybe, if she holds tight enough, she can keep him together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Take some time.” she says, “You just need some time for yourself to find out what you need. And once you do I’ll be here to help you get it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And that was that. He’d held her tight as well and then he packed a bag and left. Leon said his goodbyes to his daughters that night as they slept. When they awoke he would be gone and there would be tears but he didn’t have it in him in his current state to face them in their little faces and explain why he had to go away for a little bit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was a good man once, Claire said he still was, that he had just lost his way for a little bit. He hopes she’s right and that he can become the man that he was once - the husband and the father that he yearns to be. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So, he takes some time to himself in a quaint town in Colorado. Or at least he tried to until the BSAA’s Golden Boy and Doctor High Hopes jacked his “vacation”.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Leon's vacation is interrupted...again... and things get heated.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm back everyone. This chapter pretty much covers the bar scene in vendetta so, I would just like to make a disclaimer that I tried my best to get the dialogue and sequence of events correct while still incorporating the twist of this story so, some of the dialogue is taken directly from the movie, some of it has been slightly changed, and some of it is brand new. Also, both Leon and Chris are kind of assholes during their interaction but neither of them is in their best place currently. This chapter is also kind of dialogue-heavy</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“ Well, if it isn’t the BSAA’s Golden Boy and Doctor High Hopes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know, I was surprised when I went by your house and my sister, your </span>
  <em>
    <span>wife</span>
  </em>
  <span> told me you weren’t there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ya well, did she also tell you that she was the one who told me to leave.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“ The point isn’t that she told you to leave but why -”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Look,” Leon interrupted Chris “ You clearly didn’t come here to be my marriage counselor and, quite frankly, I don’t think my family marriage is any of your business!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If Leon had been looking Chris in the face instead of avoiding eye contact, he would have seen the exact moment that the older man’s self-composure snapped at Leon’s snippy quip,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“None of my business? You made your marriage my business when you married </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> sister. Those girls that you...you...</span>
  <em>
    <span>left</span>
  </em>
  <span>- in tears may I add - are </span>
  <em>
    <span>my </span>
  </em>
  <span>nieces. Even though all three of those girls’ names may be Kennedy, they’re still Redfields and Redfields take care of their family.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leon wanted to say sorry. Sorry that he left his family. Sorry that his daughters, despite how much they should hate him for what he's done, for what he's become, but instead, they’re probably crying in their mother’s arms hoping and wishing for his safe return. Sorry for even picking up a drink again. He wants to promise Chris that as soon as they’re done here he's gonna run back home as quickly as he can. But he can’t. He’s not ready. He still needs time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Find out what you need</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His wife’s voice echoed in his mind, clouded as it is from the alcohol. He knew that he still didn’t know what he needed. So, instead of apologizing, Leon lashed out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that so? Well, If only you had created that nice, little family motto before Mommy and Daddy Redfield kicked the bucket.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knew he shouldn’t have done it. Talking about the late Redfield parents in that way was utterly disrespectful and a most definite low blow made to rile up the large hulk of a man standing in front of him. If the look on Chris’s face and his tightening muscles were anything to go by, he’d gotten his desired reaction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Right before Chris pounced, Rebecca stepped between the two in a fairly successful attempt to keep Chris from killing the blonde. Leon was, admittedly, a little disappointed. He had been looking for a good fight and there weren’t many of those to be found in a small, quaint town in Colorado. Claire had told him there was a rumor going around that Chris punched a rock off the wall of a volcano - Leon felt that people were just embellishing their stories these days but it still would have been fun to try that out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Honestly Leon, I should let Chris have at you for that comment but we have more important things to think about.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ya, and what would that be?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rebecca seemed to take a calming breath before she answered,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you remember about Los Illuminados?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leon grunted,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s been so long, I don’t even remember.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, A man named Glen Arias is using a version of the plagas virus; called it the A virus.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The main difference between the two is that Arias claims his BOW’s have enemy targeting abilities,” Rebecca said, picking up from where Chris had left off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And based on what I’ve seen, he’s telling the truth. Arias was a known weapons dealer and, to shut him down, the government dropped a bomb on his wedding. He was the only survivor and now he’s out for revenge.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leon didn’t know what to say,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, on one side we’ve got an arms dealer and on the other, a government dropping bombs on weddings. Who’s the bad guy here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Arias!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Chris was obviously angered by Leon’s nonchalance about the whole ordeal. As the large man continued to yell he leaned across the table, getting in Leon’s face to supposedly get his point across better.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s the bad guy and it’s our mission to bring him down!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No! It’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> mission! I’m on vacation.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So that’s it,” Leon could tell by Chris’ tone of voice that wherever this was going, he was not going to like it,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re just going to sit here and drink yourself to death? What about all those innocent people out there who need your help? What about Claire? What about Isabelle and Olivia? Your girls are at home crying right now for their Daddy and Claire is doing her best but I can see it's hurting her. That </span>
  <em>
    <span>you’re</span>
  </em>
  <span> hurting her. You promised me when you married her, Leon, that you would take care of her when she needs you. You’re being a pretty shity father right now and an even worse husband.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hearing that hurt. It hurt worse than when he was infected with the Plagas way back when. It hurt worse than when he was manhandled and thrown into wall after wall by Mr. X and doctor Birkin in Raccoon City. It hurt worse than taking a bullet for a woman who would never love him. Except, in all those scenarios, he never gave up. He kept fighting. Here, now, he was wasting away in some bar getting drunk and it wasn’t even noon. By all definitions, he had given up and this time, three amazing girls who loved him with everything in their hearts was paying the price for it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leon looked Chris in the eyes before taking out his flask and bringing it to his lips for a long draw. Rebecca, ever the optimist, tried to steer the conversation back on topic,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This new virus is spreading fast. All the researchers and the staff at my university were infected.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This shit again? Seems like it never ends.” Leon sighed. The burly man and the young woman sitting across from him both showed signs of confusion on their face - eyebrows scrunched together and Rebecca even let out a small sound indicating Leon to elaborate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know that bomb that went off in D.C? Well, it was my mission to stop the terrorist. We were almost at the rendezvous point until someone ratted us out. The bomb went off and everyone on Metro Squad - gone. My whole team, just...</span>
  <em>
    <span>gone</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I lead them to their deaths, that's on me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Leon that wasn’t - “ Rebecca tried to offer some consolation but that wasn’t what he wanted to hear right now so he cut her off,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“ We just keep fighting and fighting and fighting and instead of seeing an end to this shit it just keeps getting worse!  I don’t think I can do this much longer. Is this what my life is supposed to be? Just fighting the living dead and the bastards that make them? That’s not the kind of life I want for my girls.”  The last part was whispered quietly enough that the other two sitting at the table wouldn’t be able to hear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Although, this was the first time Leon admitted any of this to anyone. He had to admit it did make him feel better, but not by much.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So this is what you’re gonna do for the next week then? Just wallow in your self-pity and regrets? All the what-ifs? ” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris’ comment immediately caused Leon’s well-placed walls to rise back up; his snippy and suave demeanor taking its place once again,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I never make plans that far ahead.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris let out a guttural sound. He looked like he was about to jump across the table before Rebecca interrupted… again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you two stop! Leon, with everything going on, you just sit here and feel sorry for yourself. And your,” Rebecca turned her attention to Chris, “ You’re letting a grudge get the better of you. Honestly, you guys are so alike it’s frustrating sometimes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are you talking about?” Leon was not in the mood to be compared to the incomparable mountain of a man that was Chris Redfield.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You guys are acting like such brats right now!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The scientist signed before walking over to her bag and pulling out a needle. She rolled up her sleeve and took a sample of her own blood before waving the now filled vial in front of their faces.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The virus is right under our noses, it has been this whole time. I created a cure that </span>
  <em>
    <span>works</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Now, all we have to do is find out what triggers it.” Rebecca through the vial onto the table between the two men,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If anything happens to me, get this to a lab you trust.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The doctor excused herself to the bathroom leaving Chris and Leon alone. At first, the conversation centered around the possibilities involved in a latent virus. Chris was both fascinated and worried about the implications of a whole population being infected without their knowledge. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Possibly by the bottled water being dispersed in the area, Leon offered up.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hopefully, otherwise, that means the drinking water has been contaminated, was Chris’ more drear response</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neither man liked where that train of thought was taking them, so Chris changed the subject. Personally, Leon liked the distraction worse than the actual problem.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What happened to you Leon?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The agent didn’t answer right away. He looked down at the flask still sitting in his hand as if it would offer him the answer to such a loaded question. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It didn’t. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“ You’re going to have to be more specific than that Bolder Boy.” Chris raised his eyebrow at the new nickname but didn’t let it deter him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean, what led you to </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The man I used to know would never run away from his family like this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not running away!” Leon could feel the anger and disappointment he had been pushing down for the last few days bubbling to the surface.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not running. I’m trying to...figure out what I want, what I </span>
  <em>
    <span>need </span>
  </em>
  <span>so I can be better for them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They sat in silence and, for a moment, they could hear Rebecca pittering around in the bathroom down the hall. While what he said was the truth, Leon knew it was only more of a <em>half- </em>truth</span>
  <span> - he was trying to be better but he was also running from his problems just like he used to before Claire. He realized that both of these things were a contradiction and could not coexist within him much longer. No, something had to give and he’d rather find out exactly what that </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span> was sooner rather than later. In his line of work, there was never a promise of </span>
  <em>
    <span>later</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The silence was broken when a man entered, frantic, begging for help. Immediately, Leon was up and out of his seat before his mind caught up with his body, he had the man pinned up against the wall and was snarling in his face. He could hear Chris behind him telling him to let go, to explain what was going on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This was the guy I told you about! The one who sold out me and my unit? This is him”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leon followed up his explanation with a punch to the man’s - Patricio - gut. At the same time, that woman working at the bar ran up to intervene. Out of his peripherals, Leon could see Chris showing the woman his BSAA issued identification, naming the altercation 'official business’. Patricio fell to the floor and the bar worker walked away eyeing the men wearily as she went.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please, you have to help my family”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My wife and my daughter are in Spain,” Patricio explained, “ an arms dealer is rounding up all the surviving members of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Los Illuminados</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He’s going to launch a large scale bioterrorism attack. I know too much! He’s going to kill me and my family.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris pulled the frantic man up from the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, it’s our lucky day.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leon saw his vision go red; </span>
  <em>
    <span>lucky?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lucky?” He voiced out loud, “Are you crazy?” The agent was certain Chris’ last few brain cells had fallen into that volcano along with the boulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s going to lead us right to our guy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Patricio did not seem too excited about that prospect.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is Glen Arias the guy you’re talking about?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How - how did you know?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris smirked,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m psychic.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Patricio further cowers into Chris’ hold before yet again pleading for his family. Leon pushed Chris away getting right into the scarred man’s face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let me get this straight, you try to </span>
  <em>
    <span>kill</span>
  </em>
  <span> me and now you want me to help you save your family? How about you tell us what you know first and </span>
  <em>
    <span>then</span>
  </em>
  <span> we’ll talk!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have a family too. What if it were them? Please!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the mention of his family, Leon lashed out - or at least he would have if Chris hadn’t pulled him back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>You leave them out of this!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” he snarled fighting against Chris’ hold on him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You better start talking before I let him go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was all it took for Patricio to spill his guts. He gave a vague explanation of a BOW attack in New York.  He didn’t get very far before the floor to ceiling windows in the bar were blown out by a sudden hail of bullets. Leon dove for cover behind one of the large support beams. He looked up to see that Chris had pulled Patricio down behind an overturned table. Unfortunately, the man had been hit. Knowledge gained for years in the field told Leon that Patricio was not going to make it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He was followed!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man tossed something across the gap and it landed by Leon’s side before uttering his final words, </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Save my family.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Rebecca!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Damn, they got Rebecca? What did these people want with her?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the gunfire finally stopped, Leon took a moment to take in his surroundings while Chris rushed to where he had seen the woman carry Rebecca away, but they were already long gone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The barmaid had not survived the attack. Her body lay on the ground in a pool of her own blood. The bullets had blown off her right arm and, from where he was standing, Leon could see where it landed - on top of the bar as if it were ready to serve patrons their drinks all on its own.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris came back to join Leon where he was standing over Patricio’s body. As much as he hated the man for what he had done, that didn’t mean he had wanted him dead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Save my family</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The dead man’s words echoed in his mind as he clutched the phone - the object he had thrown at him - in his hand tighter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He gave that to you for a reason,” Chris said, indicating he was talking about the phone with a nod of his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The phone started ringing and, seeing the name on the screen, Leon began to panic. He turned it around to show Chris who only nodded his head in support. Leon accepted the call and brought the phone up to his ear but remained silent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A woman's voice could be heard on the other end; soft and lovingly she inquired if her husband was able to get Leon to agree to help. She said that Selena - who he assumed was their daughter - missed her daddy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Those words shook him to his core. For a moment all he could hear wasn’t Patricio’s daughter on the other end asking to speak to her </span>
  <em>
    <span>Papa,</span>
  </em>
  <span> but Isabell’s voice calling for him in her sweet bell tone and Olivia whose calls would always be louder than her sisters - forever trying to get all of his attention on her alone. His princess and his little bug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello? Who is this”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The voice brought him back to reality.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Put my husband on the phone!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leon hung up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We need to get to New York. That’s where Arias is so that’s where Rebecca will be.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right,” Leon couldn’t quite meet Chris in the face, “ I just - um, I need to make a phone call.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris grunted. Leon could tell he wanted to get on the road as quickly as possible but still, he didn’t object.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Claire picked up the phone as soon as she saw the caller I.D</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Claire?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her heart started to beat faster at the sound of his voice - ten years together and he still had that effect on her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Claire I - “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other end of the line went silent. Leon was never a very </span>
  <em>
    <span>boisterous</span>
  </em>
  <span> person, but he was never this silent either.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Leon, baby, are you ok?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>More silence until the sound of glass crunching underneath feet came through the line.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can I talk to the girls, please? Just for a minute?” He sounded much more defeated than when he had left.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Claire wanted nothing more than to heal the hurt in his voice but, looking over at where Isabell and Olivia were sitting watching television, she remembered why they were doing this in the first place.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“ I don’t think that would be the best idea, Leon. I’m sor-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. I get it. I understand.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She could hear another voice calling his name. For a moment, Claire was shocked because that voice sounded a lot like her brother. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that Chris?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ya. He came and found me. Apparently, he needs my help.” He adds a half-hearted chuckle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“ So, we’re going to New York to handle some things. I don’t know how long it will take but when we’re done I want to come home. I think you and I have some things to...talk about”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course. Be careful, ok?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Claire wasn’t stupid. She could put two and two together - Chris needed Leon’s help then it had to be BOW related.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Always.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They both tried to talk, only succeeding in speaking over one another. They both stopped abruptly and Claire waited from him to speak first.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I love you, Angel. Can you tell the girls for me, please?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” her voice wavered from unshed tears, “I’ll tell them. I love you too Leon.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The line went dead and Claire sat the phone down on the counter, taking a deep breath to compose herself Claire turned her head back to check on her girls.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stopped short, however when she realized that Isabell was standing in the doorway between the living room where she was supposed to be watching television and the kitchen where Claire had excused herself to take the phone call.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you o.k baby; do you need something?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Was that Daddy?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Claire hesitated for a moment before deciding she should just tell the little girl the truth; Isabell was always able to tell when she or Leon were bullshitting her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was.” Claire opens her arms and Isabell quickly runs towards her for a tight hug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He told me to tell you and your sister that he misses you and he loves you very, </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> much.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“When is he coming home, Mommy?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know. Daddy has to go help Uncle Chris for a while but I’m sure he’ll try to come home to you and Livvy as soon as he can.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As they stood there in the kitchen, Claire comforting her daughter, she prayed that what she was saying would come true - that Leon would complete whatever mission Chris had recruited him for and that he’d come home ready and prepared to make an effort to get better. She prayed with all her heart that those few and sparing words over the phone wouldn’t be their last. She prayed that he would come home because her daughters missed their Daddy.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you so much for reading. Again, updates will probably be irregular and slow. Please leave Kudos and a comment as I love to hear from you guys. Tell me what you liked and what you didn't - this chapter kind of took me by surprise considering it took a lot longer to write than I thought but I'm proud of the end product. Thank you for reading I hope you enjoyed it.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Woah! I'm not dead! This chapter gave me a little trouble but, she's finally done! This covers most of the fight scene so there are a LOT of descriptions of violence (although not that graphic). Just game/movie typical stuff, nothing crazy. I would just like to preface this that I know next to nothing about guns - all my knowledge of them comes from Call of Duty and RE so.... take that for what you will. Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>There was nothing that put life into perspective like the moments before a large mission - the calm before the storm. Sitting there on the helicopter with Chris and his team; Leon couldn’t avoid thinking that he might die here - torn to shreds by the impending hoards of the living dead, taken out by one of Aria’s still living goons or even the man himself, and of course, there was always the dark possibility of </span>
  <em>
    <span>becoming</span>
  </em>
  <span> one of those...things, turned by the same virus he’d dedicated his life to stopping. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>None of this was new to him, quite the opposite in fact. With his line of work, the possibility of death was the only ever-present thing he had in his life. At least it was until he had Claire. Claire was - </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> his angle. She pulled him out of the darkness he was sinking into, she showed him that it wasn’t enough to just fight for a better life - he had to also </span>
  <em>
    <span>live</span>
  </em>
  <span> it. Claire was most definitely an angle, that was an undeniable fact. The thing was though, Leon, as much as he tried, could never find that same outlook on the world that his wife has. Claire was an angle, Leon was just an imitation of one. He was Icarus. He was a man gifted with beautiful wings and, fragile as they were, he had convinced himself that, in any uncertain terms, he was invincible. But, if his last mission had shown him anything, it was his own hubris. Yes, Claire was an angel which meant that Leon was Icarus and he had finally flown too close to the sun.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead of falling back to earth, he’d somehow fallen through it. At least, that’s how it felt. He could see Chris marching around the copter with all the authority his position and his legend awarded him. He could hear the other three BSA operatives coming up with a plan - Leon even occasionally interjecting with his own ideas. He could see, he could hear, he participated and yet he still felt separated - miles away more like. He could feel his stomach rising to his throat as he fell, past Chris and the other agents, past Rebecca trapped with Arias, past Claire and his little girls. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Rookie, Kennedy!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris’s voice alerted him that the odd feeling that came with falling had, in actuality, come from the copter landing - well, more like getting </span>
  <em>
    <span>closer</span>
  </em>
  <span> to the ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You ready?” Redfield asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leon noticed that Chris was motioning towards something outside the coper. He stood and made his way beside Chris.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s all I could do on such short notice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leon smirked, something that Claire would have said was just so...</span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It was also something he hadn’t done in a while.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I call the bike!”  Leo yelled so he could be heard over the noise of the rotors.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris shook his head and mumbled something under his breath although Leon didn’t catch it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The small group of three loaded up before hopping out. From his spot perched on the Ducati Leon could see Chris waving to his two other comrades still in the chopper as it rose into the sky - their mission to provide aerial support and make sure the virus doesn't spread outside of their discussed perimeter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As they pulled out into the street, Leon settled into the cold determination that came with yet another mission. The feeling of the leather of his gloves digging into his hands as he gripped the handlebars, the feeling of the wind blowing past his face and through his hair, burning his lungs from the inside out - all familiar and welcome. These were things he could expect in such a crazy world - sure, sometimes he fell, maybe he tended to crash things but falling off a bike was as real as the concrete or dirt he landed on. In those situations, when he met the ground he was sure to stop, he couldn’t fall through as he had in his own mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris pulled up next to him in the Jeep,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“ You see it?” they zeroed in on the inconspicuous truck ahead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My eyesights better than yours, old man!” Leon yelled before revving the bike, rushing ahead of the truck only to fall back slightly when a smaller truck intercepted his path.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fuck!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The zombie dogs flew by him, or he flew by them - Leon wasn’t exactly sure. For a brief moment, he was back in Raccoon, below the precinct. He shook it off. Going back to that night would not help him today.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the sound of a large crash Leon skid to a stop facing the direction that he had just come from. The jeep was turned on its side and Leon could see Chris crawling out, attempting to put a few rounds into the dogs that had turned his partner into a chew toy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leon revved his engine, </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Here boy!” He called to the dogs. He let go of the brake once he knew that he’d successfully gotten the dog’s attention.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He took off, weaving through traffic to outrun his pursuers. Horns blared and the sound of chaos followed him. Leon knew that there would be accidents. He knew there would be casualties but at the same time, if he stopped this entire town was as good as gone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The dogs were catching up, one even outrunning him. As they flew past all Leon could see was the startling white where the flesh had completely peeled away from the bone - the smell wasn’t much better either. That was something most survivors never talked about - the smell that always accompanied mass outbreaks. Sometimes, in his more comical moments, Leon wished he had a large clothespin to put over his nose and block the smell like in the cartoons his daughters loved to watch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His solution for the zombie dogs was...</span>
  <em>
    <span>messy</span>
  </em>
  <span> to say the least, but it got the job done. He circled back to where he assumed Chris would be. Leon would never admit it out loud, but he was glad to see his brother-in-law in one piece.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You get to Rebecca, I'm going to handle the trucks.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Leon - “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I got it, ok? Rebecca needs help and I can handle a few trucks.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris nodded his response before booking it to Arias’ building. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Destroying trucks was almost therapeutic in a way. Leon supposed that something as messed up as blowing up what seemed like water trucks full of a compound made to activate a latent virus in the citizens of NYC would make him feel better. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Damn,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought, </span>
  <em>
    <span>my life is fucked up</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With each explosion, Leon felt a part of himself drawing to the surface - that part that almost...</span>
  <em>
    <span>enjoyed</span>
  </em>
  <span> what he did. It was a part of him that Leon wasn’t sure if he should feel disgusted by or if he should embrace. Either way, at the end of the day, that was the part that almost always seemed to ensure his return home and, at the moment, that was all he really cared about.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dying here was not an option what with the way he had left things at home. Especially considering the undead things that would be doing said killing was one of the reasons everything had started to go so wrong. In the depths of his mind, he knew that he couldn’t blame everything on B.O.Ws but, at this moment, if it were what got him out of there alive he would allow himself to believe it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leon pulled a grenade out from his belt. Throwing it behind him, he chanced a look back to see the last of the dogs torn apart by the force of the explosion. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With that taken care of, Leon hit the brakes and leaned into the turn, drifting until he was facing the other direction. Revving the bike he took off back the way he came. Now that the dogs were no longer an immediate problem he had to get back to Chris and help him find Rebecca.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That mission was made a little harder upon realizing that Chris had not been able to destroy all the trucks in time. The streets of New York were now overrun by the undead - screams of those who had not been turned combined with sirens and alarms creating a cacophony of blinding noise. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leon did his best to dodge the infected. It wasn’t his usual course of action in terms of these kinds of things but, if what he and Chris had deduced from the information Rebecca had given them before she was abducted was correct and there possibly was a way to turn these poor people back then he couldn't take them out permanently. Leon had taken out plenty of the undead - he’d even taken on a whole village of people virtually alone. The difference there though was that those villagers, sadly, had been far past the point of no return. With all the death he’d seen on a daily basis he would not allow himself to add to the toll; not among those who were innocent. Thinking back to that short phone call with Patricio’s family, he knew he’d never be able to look his daughters in the face again if he knew he hadn't tried everything in his power to help another person get home to their own family.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A quick turn around a few blocks confirmed that Chris and the rest of his team had managed to destroy the rest of the trucks, so Leon made a beeline towards the building they had singled out as Arias’ headquarters.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Getting to the upper floors with his bike was quite a challenge but Leon was loath to part with the beauty so soon - she’d really come in handy so far. His effort was validated when he managed to speed in fast enough to save Chris’ ass. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” he called out as he hopped off the bike to join Chris further down the hall, “sorry I’m late. Had to take the stairs.” Leon smirked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chris looked at him unimpressed. His mouth was open, probably to make some sort of statement that no doubt would have been insulting in some way but their attention shifted immediately at the sound of the elevator at the end of the hall beeping. The light turned on, indicating the doors were about to open and the two prepared themselves for whatever was about to step or stumble, out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On cue, a single zombie slowly shambled towards the wall immediately in front of the elevator doors. Several more followed after him but, by the sounds, Leon knew there were many more where those came from. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leon turned to look at Chris. He could tell by the look on the man’s face that he had come to the same conclusion, seasoned vets as they were. Leon nodded his head towards the growing hoard who had started to stumble over each other. The space between the elevator and its opposite wall had quickly filled with bodies and yet the seemingly mindless hoard still attempted to push forward. Despite what it looked like, Chris and Leon knew better. The two raised their weapons and dropped into a ready stance just as the hoard seemed to realize that they could go more directions than just forward. The typical groaning turned to snarls and growls as the zombies began to rush them - no doubt Arias had used his fancy new virus to ensure that the two of them would be the targets.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two were split up as the sound of gunfire joined the guttural noises of the undead. As much as Leon wished he could help these people, at this point, it was kill or be killed. He turned away as he felt a slimy hand land on his, firing his gun. He zeroed in, now in full Agent Kennedy mode. His weapon of choice may not have been as sophisticated as Chris’s bigger semi-automatic but it was trusty. Claire had given it to him a few years back when he had bemoaned the loss of his favorite Matilda on a mission and, just like his wife, it had never failed him yet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually, the two found themselves back to back, clothes dirty with blood and gore from rolling around on the ground during their fight. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Rebecca’s running out of time!” Chris shouted, worriedly, over the snarling creatures throwing themselves at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leon thought over their options quickly before suggesting they split up. They didn’t have many other options, Chris realized, and so, he nodded his consent. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They separated - Leon focused on taking out the rest of the zombies while Chris changed his objective to gaining ground, moving down that hall towards where they assumed Rebecca was being held.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That feeling rose up in him again, the one he wasn’t sure whether he should embrace or reject. Leon felt a low rumble in his chest. It grew, turning into a growl and eventually a scream. He made precise shots - one bullet for each body, right through the skull. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When it was finally all over, Leon made his way back to his bike which, thankfully, hadn’t been destroyed. He sat for a moment, still. He hoped Chris hadn’t heard his anguished cries, that was an inevitable conversation he wasn’t looking forward to having after this was all said and done - both of them had been doing this too long to think that scream had come simply from the adrenaline of the fight. That...seemingly never-ending </span>
  <em>
    <span>fight</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t have time to worry about that now though. Kicking up the stand he made his way further into the building - towards the sounds of gunfire and destruction. He prayed that meant Chris had found Rebecca and was headed towards the cure. He couldn’t allow himself to think of the alternative.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d have time to fix things. He would. He had to. There was no other option.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you so much for reading. Please leave Kudos and a Comment! Nice and even constructive comments always help give me inspiration and the more inspiration I have the faster these chapters get out. Thanks again!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thus begins yet another journey into my world where Capcom wasn't a bunch of pussies and Cleon is cannon. I will say that writing addiction and relapsing is really hard and I tried my best to do my research because I don't want it to seem like I'm shaming the character that is struggling with said addiction (because there are always way more complicated layers involved). So if there is any advice or criticism you have in regards to that or just my writing in general, please leave a comment and if you don't, still consider leaving a comment! Tell me what you like, what you hope to see, and all that goodness. Thank you so much for reading! Classes start next week so I have no idea when I will update sry ( The first chapter of this work is cross-posted on my Tumblr but the rest will solely be posted here).</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>